Thoughts of Escape
by fringeperson
Summary: ONESHOT. DO NOT OWN. COMPLETE. MxR. Robin is plagued with thoughts, and over donuts shares them with Michael - he's been having very similar thoughts as well. Can they work together to escape their cages? - some adult themes, but fairly safe.


Somehow, it had become a regular thing. He would turn off his music, get up from his computer chair, and go to look out at the moon, wishing that he could just ... breathe the air of the outside world again, enjoy raw sunshine on his face again, go for a walk in the park without having to ask permission first – permission that he was never going to get – and then she'd be there, with a shy little smile on her face even though she'd been doing it since her third day.

"I brought donuts," she said, holding up the box.

Michael smiled in appreciation.

"I'll make you some coffee," she added, her smile becoming slightly less tentative.

"Thank you Robin," he answered, accepting the box while she went to the coffee machine.

She paused, turned to look at him over her shoulder, smiled wider, and then continued towards the machine. When she returned with the coffee, Michael found that she'd made it just the way he liked. It seemed that she'd seen him add a dash of milk and two sugars for long enough that she did it for him now.

She lingered, standing beside him for a moment. That was different. Normally she sat down in her own chair with her cup as soon as she'd handed him his.

"That was the first time you thanked me," she said quietly, a clearly pleased smile on her face.

Michael's eyes widened slightly behind his tinted glasses as he looked up at her. As the surprise of the statement passed and what she was saying actually sunk in, he returned her smile.

"I must have picked up manners from you then," he said. "You're the only person in STN-J that ever says 'thank you' for anything. Or 'please' for that matter."

The smile slipped from Robin's face at that. "I noticed," she said sadly. "I sometimes wonder if everyone might be happier if people just remembered to say those words."

Michael chuckled. "I certainly appreciate it every time I hear you say them," he said, radiating sincerity. "It makes me feel like I'm not being taken for granted."

Robin's smile returned, though not as bright as it had been before. She still hadn't sat down, but Michael assumed that she was about to when she moved away towards her chair and assigned desk.

She didn't though. Robin set down her cup beside the computer's tower on the far side of the desk while she leant against the edge, hands on either side of her and gripping the edge. Her blue-green eyes, that looked more like soft emeralds in the darkness of the deserted office, were fixed on him again.

"Is something the matter Robin?" he asked curiously, his brow furrowing slightly in worry for his friend. They had talked about many things since she had first started coming back after hours with donuts, and making them both a cup of coffee. His bondage to STN-J, her life in the monastery, their likes, dislikes, hobbies and habits. They shared juvenile speculations on their co-workers and bad jokes that they had come across. Never mind that it was 'taboo' to socialise with co-workers outside of work. Technically, after all, every one of these conversations happened _in_ the office. So what if they weren't within regular working hours?

"Not the matter really," Robin answered, looking away from Michael at last, and out the barred window to the moon which, against all sensibility, had turned its crescent form completely on its side like the grin of Lewis Carroll's cheshire cat. "Just ... a thought I suppose, that won't leave me alone."

The lines on his forehead eased away, and his gentle smile returned. They'd had discussions like this before too. Robin seemed to think best out-loud, and as irritating as that could be during office hours when they _had_ to be working, and her pleasant voice was something of a distraction – though she'd stopped after the first couple of weeks, when he'd explained to her that it _was_ distracting him from his work – he was quite content to listen to her work through her problems when it was just the two of them, the only illumination in the office that of the moon and his computer screen.

"A good thought or a bad thought?" he asked, setting aside his own coffee so that Robin would know he was listening very seriously.

"I'm not sure," she answered, shifting on her feet and dropping her gaze from the window to the floor near the hem of her dress.

"I'd guess that's the reason that the thought isn't leaving you alone then," Michael suggested. "If you know it's a good thought, or a bad thought, then you can start to work your way through it and reach a resolution."

Robin looked up at him sharply, eyes a little wide and her mouth not-quite-closed.

"Talk me through it," Michael offered. "I'll help if I can – if you want me to that is," he added with a smile.

Robin ducked her face back down, looking off to the side as she drew one arm around her to grab at the other, like she needed a hug and was giving herself one because no one else could, or perhaps to put something physical between herself and him, because she was uncertain and a little defensive.

Michael frowned to see that. It had been a long time since Robin had gotten defensive about anything in the way she was getting defensive now. He had thought she knew that she didn't have to be with him.

Standing up, Michael took one step forward, and then another so that he stood with his feet together just beyond the still slightly-pooled hem of Robin's dress. A little unsure, because she had invaded his personal space a few times, but he had never made a move to do likewise, Michael gently draped his arms around her waist and back.

"Hey," he called softly, a murmur of a whisper that drifted easily in the silence across the foot of clean air between them. "You know that you can tell me anything," he reminded her gently.

Robin relaxed into his soft hold, even going so far as to close all remaining space between them by leaning into his thin chest and wrapping both of her arms around him.

"They're thoughts about you," she whispered against his shirt.

"Then I most sincerely hope that they're not bad thoughts," Michael offered, adjusting his embrace around her and pulling her a little tighter as he tilted his chin down so that he was almost talking into Robin's hair.

"It started out in quiet moments when I wasn't doing anything, wasn't even thinking of anything, and then suddenly I'd think about the way your hands flew over your keyboard and your glasses reflected the glow of your screen," Robin said, not moving to look at him as she talked.

"I can't see how those are bad thoughts," he answered. "Perhaps surprising thoughts to suddenly have, but harmless ones."

Robin shook her head. "Then I'd suddenly be thinking about you here, late at night all by yourself while I was supposed to be going over case files, or when I was cleaning the apartment that I share."

"You're very kind-hearted Robin, to be thinking about me on my own like that. I apologise for causing you distraction."

"When I wake up in the mornings," Robin continued, "I think about the times when you woke me up to call me into the office, and then I think that it would be nice to wake up to your voice every day, but I'm not sure why."

Michael's breath caught at that, and he jerked his gaze up from the top of Robin's head to stare out the barred window at the grinning moon. This was some cruel joke, wasn't it?

"Every time I go out with Amon to the site, I think that I would rather be going with you, or that it would be nice if I could just walk with you down the street or through the park, sharing ice cream on a warm day."

"I've forgotten what ice cream is like," Michael admitted softly, drawn back to what Robin was saying. "The office temperature is regulated. It's never hot enough to really want to be cooled down with ice cream or anything like that."

Robin's hold on him tightened.

"There are other thoughts too," Robin said, but rather than going into them as she had with the others, she fell silent.

"Are you going to tell me about them?" Michael asked at last.

Burying her face in his chest, Robin shook her head. She was practically clinging to him now though, and Michael thought he could feel her heartbeat through the many layers that separated them. He could certainly feel the regular in-out of her breathing.

"I think about you as well Robin," Michael said softly. "I think about you a lot. I think about the sound of your voice, and the colour of your eyes. I wonder what they look like when you use your Craft sometimes," he admitted.

"Really?" Robin asked quietly, her query muffled by his shirt as she hadn't removed her face from his chest yet.

Michael nodded and hummed an affirmative. "That's not all either. I think about what you might look like with your hair down, and sometimes even wonder how you move with such a large dress."

For a few drawn out moments, neither of them moved or said a word, but then Robin shifted slightly and breached the silence once more.

"You know, this morning when I was looking over those files Amon gave me, I wondered what would happen if I started a fire here and burned down STN-J. Would any of _them_ search for you, or just assume that you were dead? If I destroyed this place, and got you out, would you be free?" Robin asked in a whispering whimper, turning her face at last so that her cheek rested against the planes of Michael's chest, and he could hear her quiet words clearly.

"I don't know," Michael answered honestly, his breath catching again in sick, fascinated hope and longing. "If a real fire started, and I disappeared, would _you_ look for me Robin?"

It had been implied in what she had said just a moment ago, but he wanted, for some reason he just desperately _wanted_ to hear her say those words.

"Of course I would," she answered, looking up at him at last.

"And if you found me?"

"Then you wouldn't have to worry about STN-J's collar, because I'd steal you away to Italy and never let you out of my sight," Robin promised firmly.

They'd talked about Italy before. Robin had been raised in a monastery there, but that didn't mean that she had never experienced the various joys that the country had to offer. She was so free and independent, even with the strict and regulated upbringing.

"Italy sounds good," Michael said. "Being with you all the time sounds even better," he added in a whisper, lowering his face so that his nose bumped against hers, just briefly.

Robin's arms suddenly dropped from his back, and Michael feared that he had gone too far, but Robin's gentle touch was slipping up his front now. One hand stopped at his chest, but the other kept going up, caressing his neck and then resting on his cheek before he felt her delicate fingers threading through his hair and she was pulling him forward with a gentle but determined and unstoppable force.

Then Michael felt her lips pressing against his own. So soft, so warm, so supple and smooth, with a faint trace of spiciness burning just beneath the surface – her power.

Michael's hold on Robin rearranged itself without any conscious thought on his part. Where he had been holding her gently around her middle, now he had one hand between her shoulder blades, pulling her closer, and the other hand cradling her head, making it tilt just a little so that he had a better angle at which to return her kiss.

"I've had the thought that I wanted to do that for a long time," Robin admitted softly when they broke the kiss, hiding her face against Michael's shirt again.

"Me too," Michael admitted, drawing his hand around to cup her jaw and tilt her face up to him again. Looking at her, he smiled. "Ah, so that's why you've been hiding your face from me all night," he teased lightly. "You have an adorable blush."

Robin tried to duck her head and hide it again, but Michael caught her and kissed her lips softly, not letting her get away. She sighed gently and closed her eyes as his warmth radiated into her from every point where their bodies touched, even through all the layers of her dress as well as his, far more casual, clothing.

Warm lips eased away again, and Michael drew a ragged breath before he remembered something.

"The security cameras," he said quietly. "If the boss decides to review them, he'll-"

"He will find that I gave you a cup of coffee and went to sit down, as usual," Robin cut him off gently, smiling up at him. "I have learned a few things since I started coming to STN-J Michael. I found the recording of another night and set the feed to record that again, rather than watch."

Michael stared at the girl in his arms, delighted awe written across his face. "How didn't I catch you doing that?"

"Because I was already inside the system," Robin answered with a pleased smile of her own.

Michael dived in to kiss her again, fiercely this time. Where the last two kisses had been gentle and a little desperate, this one was passionate and free. _He_ was free. He was still in the office, but the cameras, for once, would not see what he was really doing, and Robin was wrapped up in his arms, returning his kiss and holding onto him as tightly as he was holding onto her.

"You little witch," Michael accused when they parted again, smiling. "You planned this."

"_Your_ witch," Robin corrected, grinning back. "And I didn't plan so much as hope. I have been thinking about this moment for most of the day though."

Michael laughed, wrapped his arms tightly around Robin's waist, picked her up and twirled her around. "My witch," he agreed when he put her down, wrapping her up in a loving embrace, nuzzling into her hair and breathing in the scent of her – cinnamon and violets, sweet and a little spicy, just like her. "And I'm your hacker."

"My genius hacker," Robin corrected, tapping a finger to his nose.

A small buzzer went off in Robin's pocket then, startling the couple apart.

"What's that?"

"It's to remind me that I have to go," Robin answered. "The cameras will show me leaving now, so I have to be out the door at the same time, or the system the registers my coming and going will disagree with the security footage, and make the boss suspicious."

Michael sobered at this news. "We'll have to find a longer innocent conversation to hide under," he said, slipping an arm around her waist and walking her to the elevator.

Robin smiled and stood on her toes to give Michael a small peck on the corner of his mouth. "I'll find one," she promised. "See you in the morning."

Michael nodded, and felt his heart ache as her fingers slipped through his and the doors of the elevator closed between them. His elaborate cage, shutting them away from each other. It seemed to slam down around him all of a sudden, but he forcibly shook his head, banishing the unkind thoughts and returning to his computer.

The next day, Robin arrived just in time to see Michael walking into the meeting room, the rest of the team drifting in the same direction behind him. A new case. That probably meant that she wouldn't be able to go through the security feeds, or even talk to Michael about it.

After the meeting, Robin slid her glasses on and followed Amon out to the car. He was still prickly about working with her, but he wasn't as blatantly avoiding her now, which made her feel better about her place in STN-J. She didn't mind if he didn't like her, as long as he let her be useful on the cases. It was why Solomon had sent her here from Italy after all.

She wouldn't have minded being partnered with one of the others once in a while. The few times she had been given the opportunity to interact with Karasuma, Haruto or even Doujima, she had enjoyed their company much more than she ever had Amon's. He seemed to be somewhat possessive of her at his side now though, and Robin was, while appreciative of being put to work, not particularly thrilled with Amon's attitude.

She's caught a little bit of conversation between Amon and the boss when she was new, and knew that they didn't trust her reason for being there then, but she had thought they had gotten over that – it was the only reason she could think of that would explain Amon's behaviour, well, that she didn't completely shudder away from. Robin hoped that it hadn't been sparked by the way her eyes had followed him when she first came. Amon was attractive, physically, but while she had initially appreciated that, she had learned that he was emotionally stunted in such a way that he really was only a tool of STN-J. Michael had depth, and dreams of freedom, and talked to her about all sorts of things apart from work. Amon was like a cardboard box in lock-down by comparison. She had no idea what Touko saw in him, especially as she had never seemed the shallow type.

When the case was resolved four hours later, Amon drove Robin back to her apartment rather than to the office, which she thought was a little presumptuous, but she got out silently and walked towards the door without so much as a backwards glance.

"No thank you?" Amon called. "You always say thank you when people do things for you."

Robin stopped and looked cooly over her shoulder at him. "I had files to review back at the office," she answered. "So you _didn't_ do me any favours," she pointed out, then turned her back on him and walked towards her door as Amon drove away.

Since she was home earlier than she had anticipated, Robin decided that, for once, she would bring Michael something other than donuts. She knew he appreciated them, and she might bring some as well anyway, but he might like something more nutritious. With this in mind and some time on her hands, Robin took herself into the kitchen and pulled on an apron.

Taking flour, eggs, water and a board that would protect the bench, she got to work making fresh pasta the way she had been taught in the monastery. When she'd finished kneading, rolling out and slicing the dough into the thinnest strings of pasta that she could, she put it in a pot of water to start boiling. Next she turned to potatoes. These got sliced up as well so that they looked like the fries that Robin had seen in some of the fast food shops. Rather than frying them though, Robin coated them in oil, drained them, then put them into the oven to bake. Testing her pasta, Robin nodded in satisfaction that it was cooked and quickly drained them, then ran cold water over them to stop them from cooking. Putting them aside in the colander so that they could finish draining, Robin moved to vegetables next. Snow peas, broccoli, and both pak- and bok-choy were washed, in some cases chopped, and then thrown into an oiled wok for just a couple of minutes before they too were removed from the heat, and she tipped them out onto the pasta. Taking some chicken now, Robin cut it up into small strips and dunked each piece in a mixture of soy and plum sauce before they got dropped into the wok that she'd just cooked the vegetables in. When the meat was browned, Robin poured the noodles and vegetables into the wok with it, then started to mix them around, adding a little more soy or plum sauce as she did. Satisfied with her creation, she turned the heat almost completely down and took the potatoes out of the oven.

Looking at the food before her as she packed it up into two bento boxes, Robin chuckled to herself. It certainly wasn't a traditional monastic meal, but she was certain that it would be a good one all the same.

A smile on her face, Robin left the cleaned up kitchen behind, swapped her apron for her coat, gathered the wrapped up bento, her wallet, and her keys, and left the apartment for Raven Flats – for Michael. She passed the donut shop on her way, and smiled to herself as her feet took her in without really consulting her brain. It was traditional. She always brought Michael donuts. Even if she was bringing him something else as well this time, she would still bring him donuts.

When she reached the building, the chief was just leaving.

"Oh, Robin! What are you doing back here?" he asked, surprised.

"Mr Amon dropped me at my apartment after the case, but I still have files to review here. Is there anyone still up there?" she asked.

The chief shook his bald head. "Not that I saw. I'm the last one out," he answered. "Would you like some company?" he offered, a little too eagerly and the tiniest bit greasily.

Robin resisted the urge to shrink back. "Thank you, but I am certain that I will be just fine. It will be good to be able to work through those files without distractions. And I'm sure if I need company, Michael wouldn't mind me too much."

The chief blinked in surprise. "Ah, yes, Michael. Of course, yes, he's still up there too. I quite forgot him," the balding man admitted.

"Well, have a pleasant evening," Robin said with a slight wave and moving past the man to key in the code that would admit her into the building.

"Yes. Good night Robin."

Robin was through, in, and had the door closed between herself and the slightly greasy chief. He had made the effort to be nice to her while being condescending, and she had been insulted by his attitude from the beginning. She hadn't let on, but she could not find it in her to like him much.

Soon the elevator doors opened onto the fifth floor, and she stepped out, bento and donut boxes in her hands, and a pleased smile on her face. The files were an excuse – a real one, but an excuse all the same.

When she rounded the corner, she saw that Michael hadn't even gotten out of his chair yet this evening, and she was content to stand there, still as a statue, and just watch him as he proved his genius to the empty room once more.

At last, Michael turned off his music, stretched in his chair, then stood from it to look out the window at the moon.

Robin trod lightly as she approached him, and was surprised that, for once as Michael stared out at the night sky, that he was smiling. She couldn't remember a time when she had visited him that he had ever smiled up at the moon beyond the barred window.

When he turned and saw her, his smile widened, and those blue eyes behind the orange glasses softened.

"I brought donuts," she said, holding up the purchased box. She couldn't stand in the place where she was standing, at this hour, and not say it. It would have been wrong. "I also made us dinner," she added, holding up the bento and smiling more broadly. "I'll go make us some coffee."

Michael accepted both of the boxes from Robin in slight surprise. He hadn't expected a home-cooked meal, but he was glad of it all the same. Robin returned quickly with the two cups and sat down with her own once she had handed him his. A normal night, like any other, but with the bonus of her cooking.

"I didn't have the time to prepare any footage for tonight," Robin explained from her chair. "There was the case, and then Amon drove me to my apartment block rather than back here. So, perhaps tonight we can make that nice, long security feed that we can use another night," she suggested with a gentle smile.

Michael nodded and unwrapped the bentos, handing one of the boxes across to Robin and keeping the other for himself. There were chopsticks inside to eat with, and Michael's stomach rumbled in appreciation as the smell of the food wafted gently up to him.

"Thank you for the food," he said quietly, smiling over to Robin.

"You're welcome," she answered, ducking her head slightly and picking up her own chopsticks. "I hope it is to your tastes."

Michael smiled as he wrapped some noodles around his chopsticks. "You made it just for us, that makes it perfect," he assured her, lifting his first bite to his mouth. When the food hit his tongue, his eyes widened. As he chewed, the corners of his mouth tilted up. Upon swallowing, his sighed in appreciation, a huge grin on his face. "It's wonderful!"

Robin ducked her head again to hide a blush at the compliment. "I'm glad you like it," she murmured.

They sat in comfortable quietude together, just eating the meal that Robin had cooked, for an easy hour, eating slowly and sometimes laughing at the way the other dangled the noodles from their chopsticks. Robin packed up the bento when they were done, went to make another cup of coffee for each of them, and then they opened the donuts. To keep up the excuse she had given to Amon and the chief, Robin also opened up the files that she was supposed to be reviewing. Michael didn't mind. They were spending time together, just the two of them, and it was nice.

Another hour after the donuts were gone, the yawns started coming.

"I guess that means I need to sleep," Michael said, turning from his computer to smile at Robin as she yawned again. "And you too by the looks of it."

Robin nodded, rubbing her eyes. "I suppose that I should go home then," she said closing the files and turning off her screen. "May I ask where you sleep?"

"Right here," he answered with a slightly humourless chuckle. "I have a futon," he explained, drawing it out from beneath his work station.

Robin nodded her understanding and stood.

"I'll see you in the morning," she promised, taking the empty bento and donut boxes and walking, alone this time, to the elevator.

"In the morning," Michael answered contently, waving farewell before he prepared to turn in for the night. Thankfully, there were utilities in the building, so once he had unrolled his futon, he went to shower, wash his clothes, clean his teeth and then, with his wet but clean clothes put in the drier, he pulled on his pyjamas and went to bed. He slept beside his computer just in case a call came through that he would have to process. Thankfully, not too many cases came up during the early hours of the morning. Even witches, it seemed, didn't like being awake and active at one and two in the morning.

~oOo~

Robin came back the next night as well, carrying a bento and donuts once again. After a quiet day in the office and the way she had taken longer to make the coffee, Michael smiled. The bento was not as large as the night before, with two rice balls each that didn't take long to eat but were very good. The donut box was hiding a small bottle of wine with two plastic wine glasses, rather than donuts.

Michael unrolled his futon and they sat together on the floor by the window, sharing the moonlight and cuddled together. When the wine was gone – which didn't take long, there was only one glass worth each in the bottle – Robin let Michael untie her hair, and they whispered sweet plans of how to fake both of their deaths so that they would be able to escape from STN-J, Japan, and Solomon.

Certainly not an easy escape to dream of, but they wouldn't let that stop them. They _couldn't_ let that stop them.

"The problem with burning down the building is that it's stone," Michael pointed out sadly. "Stone doesn't burn that well."

Robin sighed in disappointed agreement. "Perhaps a case will come up where we all have to go out to the country for an extended time," she suggested hopefully. "You as well, and then the cabin could burn down."

"Even if everybody else went, the boss wouldn't let me," Michael said.

Robin huffed. "What we need is a witch who makes things blow up, have them find out about STN-J, and target the place. If we got that lucky, surely our luck would hold out so far that we would be the only ones left alive, and then we could disappear."

Michael laughed. "I'll keep a look out on the database," he promised with a smile.

Robin smiled back. Privately, she still thought that there was enough in the office that would be able to burn, and convince STN-J that she and Michael were both turned to a crisp, but until she had worked out a proper plan, with escape routes, back-up plan, and a full way to get out of the country without Solomon knowing, she would hold off.

"Hey," she whispered. "It just occurred to me, we can't leave in our own names. We'd be tracked."

"I'm your hacker," Michael reminded her. "I can create a false identity for both of us, and even leave a paper trail of what our lives were before we decided to leave Japan. No one would know that we weren't really who we said we were. Just because I wasn't ever a cracker before, doesn't mean that I don't know how to do it."

Robin smiled up at him. "My genius hacker," she said, leaning up to kiss his lips softly, stroking her hand through his hair.

Michael wove his own fingers through Robin's tresses as he returned the kiss, deepening it, pulling her closer and nibbling at her bottom lip gently. When he felt her mouth smile against his, Michael opened his mouth slightly and brushed the very tip of his tongue against the seam of her lips.

Robin, startled, pulled back suddenly, eyes wide as a hand flew to her lips.

"Sorry," Michael said, leaning back, withdrawing from being too near, worried that he had offended her.

Robin tugged him closer again. "No," she said. "I'm sorry. You just surprised me," she explained, smiling at him encouragingly.

Michael relaxed and smiled back before leaning in to kiss her again. Again, he let the tip of his tongue out to taste Robin's lips – the wine they had shared earlier – and then Robin shifted and her lips closed around his sensitive muscle, her own probing gently forward to touch it. Tentatively, they explored the new sensations until they ran out of breath.

When they parted, their breath coming in short ragged draws, eyes locked and dilated, they knew that what they had just done was very, very right. They also knew that whatever it was that they were about to do would be considered very, very wrong by everybody of their acquaintance – even as they also knew that nothing could possibly be more right.

Slowly, carefully, almost as though both were afraid to wake up and find out that it was just a dream, fingers began to peel clothes away from bodies. Michael's lips burned a line of slow kisses down Robin's neck that she was sure were hotter than the flames of her Craft, his deft fingers undoing one single catch at a time, teasing them both with the crawling pace. Her hands traced the contours of his skin over his thin, surprisingly wiry frame, slowly tugging his shirt up before Robin decided to change directions and tucked her fingers into the waistband of his trousers instead.

Michael moaned into the soft skin at his lips when Robin's hands delicately slid further down and so slowly, so tentatively, began to stroke the heat that was building there.

"Michael," Robin whispered, and even in such a hushed tone, they could both hear how her voice was changed in that moment. In saying only his name, she pleaded with him to fulfil a need that she had never felt before in her life.

The buzzer in Robin's pocket buzzed, bringing them harshly back to themselves and their current situation. Robin hastily re-fastened the few buttons of her dress that Michael had gotten undone while Michael coughed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously before he stood to pack up the boxes that Robin had brought.

Robin stood at last and lay a hand over Michael's elbow, halting his nervous tidying.

"We'll find a way," she promised. "Even if I just go crazy and decide to burn down the entire building around me. We _will_ find a way to be free."

Michael smiled and nodded, then cupped her chin to give her a quick, chaste kiss. "I believe you," he said. "But keep in mind how many people wear Orbo in this building. Now go, I'll see you in the morning."

Robin nodded and left, boxes in hand and her hair ribbons in her pocket.

~oOo~

For a week, Robin stayed late at the office, but didn't leave and come back with donuts once.

Michael worried that it was because she thought that they had gone too far that night when her alarm had interrupted them, but he couldn't bring it up. When he got an email in code at the end of that week, he almost laughed out loud. Robin had just been researching hard for them, trying to find a witch who could help them. No luck yet it seemed, and she was being ordered onto another case which was fit to take up the entire weekend.

On Monday, she didn't come in at all.

"That's odd," Haruto said when they all filed into the meeting room for another case brief.

"What is?" Karasuma asked, taking her seat.

"Robin isn't here," Haruto answered. "Normally she's one of the first people in the office isn't she? But today even Doujima is here before Robin."

Karasuma blinked in surprise.

Amon went stiff.

Doujima bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

Haruto held up his hands defensively. "It was just an observation!"

"But you're right," Amon said. "Robin has never missed a case if she could help it. Michael, did you call her?"

Michael nodded. "But she didn't answer," he added. "I've called her into the office at three and four in the morning and she picked up," concern entering his tone as he spoke. He didn't want to admit to the others that he was worried about Robin. She always came in at the same time every day, unless he called her in earlier. Her not picking up, and not being here by now, had him very worried.

The boss was just about to join them when the chief's scurry-man stopped him, whispering something in his ear. The boss nodded and entered the room.

"Boss?" Haruto asked, wondering what was up.

"Robin is not going to be coming in today. Touko just called to let us know," he answered.

"Is she sick?" Doujima asked.

The boss shook his head. "Apparently Robin is in a trance in her room with a bunch of cards lying around her, a pile of sand and a glass of water," he explained. "She might be in later, but Touko doesn't want to disturb her in case something happens. In the meantime, we have a case to solve."

Michael nodded and brought up the data as mild relief eased itself around his muscles which had been tensed in worry.

"The witch's name is Kisie Keta, she's forty-five years old and as of five am this morning, seems very keen on destroying the foundations of certain buildings," Michael reported. Just the sort of witch and Robin had been hoping to find, he realised.

"Is there a pattern in the buildings that she's destroying?" Amon asked.

"Oh yes. There's a pattern to the things she's destroying, but it isn't a pattern that anybody here is going to like," Michael answered, bringing up the sites of destruction. "The first one was the boss's summer cottage. The second was the house where Doujima was a child. There were no deaths, but we got called when the police found that both had been destroyed in the same way. Their solid foundations were blasted out from the middle, no trace of explosives, and after the buildings caved in, every brick was blasted in much the same way."

"Both buildings were stone," Haruto observed. "Have any of the items within the buildings survived?"

"The metal work," Michael answered. "All damaged from the collapse, but where wood and glass were both shattered, the metal is still _mostly_ intact."

"So the witch has a limit then," Karasuma stated.

"It gets worse," Michael said. "After these two, the witch has gone to buildings where STN-J staff have all lived previously." At that moment, his computer bleeped that he had a new message. "The boss's current residence was just destroyed," he announced, eyes widening behind his glasses. It seemed that Robin had been working very hard, if she somehow had something to do with this.

"Any casualties?" the boss asked, frowning deeply.

Michael checked quickly. "Not that are confirmed yet boss," he answered. "A couple got out in the initial shaking, and a few got hurt as the rest of the building started to crumble, but there's still one or two unaccounted for amongst the wreckage. There's going to be a lot of digging going on there for a while."

"So the pattern is STN-J personnel," Amon stated. "This witch somehow knows who we are and where we have lived in the past. Michael, has anybody tried to hack into the system?"

Michael shook his head. "No one," he admitted. "But we all file tax returns and pay bills. It's possible that the witch hacked into the public records."

"That doesn't explain how they would know about us though," Karasuma pointed out.

"No, but this does," Doujima said, pointing to her screen. " Kisie Keta is a recently retired police officer. She's reported a couple of cases to STN-J herself over her service."

"She's met us," Amon realised. "That's how she knows."

"As a police officer, gaining access to the public records of a person wouldn't be difficult, and even if she retired recently, she would still know her way around. It's possible that she didn't even have to hack their system," Michael said, impressed in spite of himself.

"Michael, is there any direction to her movement?" Amon asked.

"I'll bring up a map with the destroyed sites," he answered.

Amon, Karasuma and Haruto left shortly after that to check out buildings that could potentially be targeted next.

"I don't understand," Doujima complained, staring at the map. "She was a good cop, why would she suddenly start attacking innocent people? Just to get to us?"

"No one has been killed yet," Michael pointed out. "She seems to make the foundations shake for long enough to give most people the time they need to leave the building. STN-J isn't all nice either remember. We've made a lot of people 'go missing' in the past."

"You included," Doujima said quietly.

"Yes," Michael admitted. "My mother is probably in some nursing home now, and my brother... I hope he's doing well, but I've resigned myself to never being able to see them again."

Doujima nodded sadly and turned back to her computer.

Robin arrived shortly after twelve, carrying a large bento and a donut box. "I'm sorry I'm late," she said. "I made lunch if anyone is hungry," she added by way of making a peace offering.

"Ah! Robin cooks?" Doujima cried in delight as she stared at the bento.

"Sometimes," Robin answered, setting the boxed lunch down. "Please, help yourself Miss Doujima. What did I miss? I'm sorry that I couldn't answer my phone earlier," she added, turning from the bouncing blonde to Michael.

"A witch is targeting the residences, both old and current, of members of STN-J," Michael answered. "The others have gone out already to check buildings that might be targeted next in hope of catching the witch."

Robin's already pale face lost all of its colour at that. "Destroying whole buildings?" she asked. "Has anybody been hurt?"

"Hurt? Yes. Killed? No. At least, not that we know of yet. The emergency services are cleaning up the regular mess while we hunt the witch down," Michael answered.

"The real kicker is how this witch knows so much about STN-J," Doujima said, digging her chopsticks into the food that Robin had brought. "Since we haven't been hacked recently," she added before stuffing the noodles into her mouth. "Wow!" she exclaimed once she'd swallowed. "Robin, you're a really good cook!"

"Thank you."

"STN headquarters!" Michael yelped suddenly. "How did the witch leave the country without us noticing?"

Everyone crowded around Michael's computer, even the boss came running, to watch the video of the building crumble into a large pile of rubble.

"Another good question to ask would be how they got there so quickly from the place that they destroyed before," Robin pointed out.

"You think that there might be more to their power than just destroying buildings?" Doujima asked.

"I don't know," Robin answered. "But it's a long way from here," she said, pointing to the place on the map that had been destroyed just before, "to there," she finished, drawing her finger along the fasted route by road to the STN headquarters.

The boss straightened and frowned. "Recall Amon, Karasuma and Haruto. It seems that we have no way of predicting where this witch will strike next. All we can do is wait for them to either target us here, or the Factory," he instructed before walking back to his office.

"Thinking about this is going to turn me into a nervous wreck," Doujima stated. "Robin, what were you doing before you came here? Please? Anything so that I'm not thinking about a witch that has a grudge against places that have any sort of association with STN-J."

Robin blushed a little and picked up one of the bento boxes that she had brought in, then sat down in her chair.

"You may not believe me, since it's Miss Karasuma rather than me who normally has a power like this, but I had a, a sort of premonition, I suppose," Robin answered quietly, stuttering just a little as she answered Doujima's question.

"A premonition?"

Robin nodded. "Something like that. It was just a very vague vision really. I don't get them often, but when they happen I need to do my best to figure them out as quickly as possible. I use the sand and water from my Craft to help me reach a deep meditative level and the Tarot cards that were given to me by one of the sisters at the monastery to help me try and interpret it."

"Tarot?" Doujima asked, a lot more interested. "You mean like reading people's fortunes? I didn't know you could do that!"

"I can't," Robin cut in. "I only use the cards to help me interpret the visions that I sometimes have. I've only had to use them twice before."

Doujima deflated, then perked up again. "So what was your vision about?"

"Destruction, fire," Robin answered, turning to her computer and bringing up the current case. "I drew the death card as well."

"That's why you went so pale when Michael told you about the witch," Doujima breathed, her eyes wide. "So you were being briefed about the witch, just not by us. That's kinda creepy."

"The visions have so far always come when something in my life is about to change, and change drastically," Robin said quietly. "I always draw the death card."

"Someone always dies when you have a vision?" Doujima asked.

Robin shook her head. "The death card can mean death of a person, but more often it means that a part of your life is over, and you're about to start a new chapter. The death card can also mean rebirth."

"I guess that's not as creepy," Doujima agreed.

Michael, unnoticed by Doujima, suddenly sat up ramrod straight in his chair before hunching over and began typing furiously. There was probably no time like the present to construct two new identities. It may even be his last chance, if the witch headed for Raven Flats soon.

"It's enough warning for me to pack up my things before leaving the apartment at least," Robin said to Doujima. "I don't have much, so it didn't take long."

"Smart move, considering what the witch is doing to places where STN-J people have lived and do live," Doujima answered.

"Amon's apartment complex just went down," Michael reported, still typing away, hacking into public records and creating new names for himself and Robin to use if they got out of this. He rather hoped that they would. "And they're all on their way back here, though Karasuma and Haruto are going to go to their buildings first and see if they can rescue a few valuables before the witch destroys everything."

An hour later everyone was in the meeting room, only able to wait for the witch to make another move. She was acting fast and didn't seem to be slowing down, her targets, though all related in some way to STN-J, were erratically chosen. Sometimes it was the building furthest from the one just destroyed, sometimes the nearest, sometimes she stopped somewhere in the middle. Karasuma's building had gone down just as she was leaving it, and Robin's had gone down not long after – they were on opposite sides of the city.

"Five bucks says she comes here last," Doujima whispered. "And does the Factory immediately before us."

"That's not in good taste Doujima," Karasuma scolded.

It also proved to be correct, as the building started shaking almost exactly three minutes after Michael announced that the Factory had been destroyed.

The chief and his man scurried for the elevator. Karasuma, Haruto, Amon and Doujima headed for the stairs instead – rarely used as they were. The boss moved for the elevator as well, not as quickly as the other two, but they held it for him.

"He didn't even think about your collar," Robin said quietly as the doors to the elevator closed, her eyes lighting up with the fire of her Craft.

"He usually doesn't," Michael answered, just as softly, more awed by the sight of her eyes as she used her power. It was the first time he had been close enough to see the change. The surveillance feeds just weren't able to capture that glow. "Are you going to get your things?"

Robin shook her head. "I have what's most important," she answered, wrapping her arms around him even as they heard the elevator crash and a plume of fire rose up the shaft.

Michael chuckled as the fire began to spread along the carpet towards them. "Did you give the witch all that information?" he asked.

Robin smiled. "I did," she answered.

"Then I assume that you have a plan to get us out of here?"

"Oh no," she answered in mock seriousness. "We'll die here," she said, then smiled and chuckled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Yes, I have a way out."

With that, she tugged him out of his chair and led him down through the caving building, blasting things out of the way as she went. Michael halted as they went through the second floor and he saw two bodies that looked very much like himself and Robin.

"Robin..."

"We'd have a hard time disappearing if we weren't found dead amongst the rubble eventually," she explained. "That's what I was really doing this morning with the cards, water and sand. It's very elaborate Craft."

"And a very elaborate lie," he said, slightly awed.

"Half-truths are easier than full lies," Robin answered as she tugged his arm gently and drew him away from the sight of their own dead bodies. "I did have a vision of destruction and fire – I managed to make it come true with Mrs Keta's help. I have used the cards before to help interpret visions – other peoples rather than my own though. And the death card does come up a lot."

Michael nodded in understanding.

At last, Robin stopped. "Your collar," she said, looking him in the eye.

Michael's hand went to the chain around his neck. "If the boss is dead, then it won't work, but if he isn't, then it will start to burn me soon. I can't take it off though."

Robin nodded and withdrew a vial of sand from her pocket, popping the cork and cupping the lock on the chain in one hand, then pouring the sand over it. The lock and chain rapidly rusted away.

Michael stood very still for a moment, staring down at his own chest where the collar had rested against his skin for so long. "It's going to take some getting used to, not having it there," he said with a smile, even as masonry crashed down around them.

Robin smiled back. "I'll get you a new necklace if you like," she offered. "For now though, we'd better get out of here."

Michael nodded and followed after her as Robin led the way down past the almost completely collapsed foundations and into the abandoned subway tunnel beneath. High above them, computers were being destroyed by fire and falling debris, crashing and burning as the building was turned into a pile of rubble. If anyone wanted to review security footage, or computer files, then they weren't about to have any luck.

~oOo~

"Welcome to Tokyo Air, how may I help you today?" the bright, uniformed woman asked the couple who had just stepped up.

"Two tickets to anywhere," the young man answered, his arms wrapped around the waist of the young woman. "And can your captains perform marriages in the air, like sea captains can on their boats?"

"I'm afraid not," the woman answered, smiling at them in appreciation of the love that they radiated.

"Oh well," the young man said with a sigh, running a hand through his messy, strawberry-blonde/auburn hair. "Where to Roe?" he asked, looking down at the girl in his arms.

"Let's go to Venice," the young woman, Roe, answered. "Please Mitch? We can afford it, can't we?"

Mitch nodded. "Venice it is then," he agreed.

"First class?"

"Please."

"One way?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Five-hundred dollars."

Mitch took out his wallet and handed over a credit card.

"Mitchel Wong and?" she asked, reading the name from the credit card while he signed the receipt.

"Rowena Yuu," Roe supplied, holding up her ID.

"I'll have to put you on a connecting flight, as we don't go straight to Venice, but you'll only be stopping once in Singapore. You'll depart from gate seventeen in two hours. Do you have any luggage that you wish to check in?"

"No, just some carry on. We're starting a whole new life," Mitch said, grinning. "Just the two of us."

"Thank you very much," Roe said to the woman, smiling as well while Mitch accepted their tickets and his credit card back.

"You're welcome, and all the best to you both. Next please!"

The couple made their way through the airport to gate seventeen. They had plenty of time, but that was alright. They picked up donuts at one of the shops along the way, and coffee at another place – which Mitch said wasn't as good as the coffee that Roe made – and they snuggled together in a chair until their flight was called for boarding.

"We've made it Robin," he whispered in her ear as the plane taxied up the runway.

"You're finally free Michael," she answered.

"No, _we're_ free," Michael corrected, leaning in to kiss her lips softly. "I love you. Have I told you that today?"

Robin smiled. "Yes, and I love you too."

~The End~


End file.
